Did you know there are certain nutrients that you need at each stage of your cycle? 

On my health journey, I have discovered that at each stage there are different foods I crave and different foods that my body struggles to digest. For example, during my luteal phase, I crave fermented foods and during my menstrual phase, I cannot eat raw leafy greens. 

To understand what to eat during each phase, we need to understand what happens during each phase 

Our cycles consist of 4 different phases, follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual. You are probably very familiar with menstrual, but maybe not the others, so let's dive deep into each of them. 

Let's start with the menstrual phase since that is day 1 of our cycle. 

The menstrual phase is when the uterine lining sheds because the egg that was dropped during ovulation was not fertilized. This produces a couple days of blood loss, resulting in low iron and zinc levels. Progesterone also drops at this phase. 

The next phase is the follicular phase. This phase only lasts for 5-7 days following the last day of menstruation. During this phase, estrogen begins to rise. Metabolism is also low at this phase. 

Next is the ovulatory phase. Estrogen and testosterone both rise rapidly at this phase, causing a higher sex drive. An egg is released at this time, ready to be fertilized. Metabolism is still low at this phase. 

The next phase is the luteal phase. Many people experience PMS during this phase. At the beginning of this phase, progesterone begins to rise, meeting high estrogen and testosterone levels at their peak. These hormones then fall when approaching menstruation. Metabolism begins to rise towards the end of this phase. 

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Now that we went over each of the phases, we can go over the best foods to eat during each of them. 

Menstrual- Warming foods (I love pho or miso during mine), cooked dark leafy greens, sea vegetables (kelp noodles!!!), foods that contain magnesium, beets, etc. 

Follicular- Fermented foods (kimchi or sauerkraut), prebiotic foods (sunchokes), foods with phytoestrogen (carrots, cauliflower, flax seed), fresh green herbs, healthy fats (avocado oil, olives), etc. 

Ovulatory- Foods with glutathione (asparagus, brussels sprouts, carrots), green juices, raw salads, cooling foods, light grains, etc. 

Luteal- Complex carbs, sweet potatoes, low glycemic and fibrous veggies (kale, celery), cruciferous veggies, sesame seeds, legumes, whole grains, dried spices, etc. 

If you are interested in learning more, I urge you to check out Katie Flour. She is a phenomenal resource and even posts recipes for each phase of your cycle on her website and Tiktok. 

Happy Cycling! 

Sources: 

Katie Flour, The Hormonal Health Chef